I did not ever see the original Pippin, but this one is just plain fantastic. It is set in a circus tent, which apparently the first one was not, and benefits greatly from the fun and excitement of acrobats and jugglers and trapeze artists and fire-eaters. The story is of the son of Charlemagne, played by Terrence Mann, who is trying to figure out who he is, and he’s just gotten out of school and is seeing dad, and decides he’s a special guy and needs to find out what his role in life is. Pippin is played by Matthew James Thomas, a dude from England who’s actually terrific in this. Not only does he sing and dance and act, but he’s charming and very acrobatic as well. The cast is aided by Charlotte d’Amboise who plays Fastrada, Charlemagne’s second wife, and the adorable Andrea Martin who plays Berthe, the grandmother, is a show stopper in this one. Tina Miller plays the Ben Vereen part and she’s just wonderful. This is just a joyous situation. You’re not going to be leaving singing any of the tunes, but the acting is terrific, the energy is fantastic, and you’ll have a great time. The first act is wonderful. The second act is shorter and much less exciting and you don’t really get why there’s a second act at all until the very end of it, but stick with it, it’s worth it, and you can see why setting it in a circus would be greatly improving the story. Without it, it’s a really grim story. Five Stars.